Experts: Address gun law's impact on jobs

Published 10:28 pm, Friday, April 19, 2013

Connecticut's new gun law was written to address a public safety concern, but some experts question whether lawmakers overlooked the impact of the legislation on jobs and the economy.

Connecticut is home to three of the biggest names in gun making, Mossberg, Sturm Ruger and Colt. It also has several other firearms makers that together provide about 3,000 jobs in a state that has been losing its industrial base for years. Last month, the Labor Department reported another 400 manufacturing jobs had disappeared in Connecticut.

Signed into law on April 4 and called the most restrictive gun legislation in the nation by the National Rifle Association, it banned the sale of AR-15-style rifles, high-capacity ammunition clips and several other types of weapons, and increased registration requirements, including for private sales. The bill, however, contains no provisions to provide aid to state gun makers who might be affected by it -- some of whom have said they are considering offers to relocate to other states.

Jim Watson, a DECD spokesman, confirmed the department is willing to work with gun makers, but it's efforts did not appear to be beyond the department's normal outreach efforts.

"Creating and maintaining jobs in Connecticut is DECD's main areas of focus," Watson said in an email. "As part of our outreach efforts, the department is in regular contact with a wide range of businesses -- including gun manufacturers. We are always concerned when we learn of companies that may be considering moving out of state.

"We are certainly mindful of the effects the new legislation may have on some gun manufacturers and want to hear their perspectives, but that must be carefully weighed with public safety concerns that continue to be a top priority for the Malloy administration and the residents of Connecticut," he said.

The department did later confirm there has been no specific mandate to DECD and nothing in the legislation regarding assistance to the industry.

Connecticut is not the only state that has changed its laws or is considering changes following the murder of 20 children and six adults at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School in December by a rifle-wielding man. Combined with a series of other tragic shootings, including the Aurora, Colo., movie theater massacre, at least 11 states have considered legislation that would restrict gun sales or ownership in some way. Such concerns about gun safety are only being bolstered by the gunfight involving suspected Boston Marathon bombers trying to evade capture this week.

In the meantime, some states have reacted differently, passing or considering legislation to liberalize laws regarding carrying concealed weapons and protecting the privacy of gun owners.

The gun makers have said publicly they are receiving boycott threats from residents in other parts of the country who are demanding the firms relocate. They are coming in at the same time the gun makers are being courted to move to other states.

It demonstrates Connecticut gun makers are facing a changing marketplace. And some business experts say the state should consider providing help for the transition.

"It's like the government of Connecticut is saying to the industry: `we don't care about you,' " Maidment said, noting changes in Connecticut and other jurisdictions are going to affect Connecticut companies; "Obviously, it's a different environment for the firearms industry."

However, the direct impact of Connecticut's law on its gun makers isn't clear, as the state has historically had one of the lowest rates of gun ownership in the nation, according to USACarry.com. Still, shares in Sturm Ruger, based in the Southport section of Fairfield and the state's only publicly traded gun maker, fell 13 percent in the weeks leading up to the signing of the Connecticut bill, dropping to $46.99 from as high as $54.24.

Maidment said the nation's gun problem is so extensive that laws like this are unlikely to address it.

"There are literally millions of guns in the United States; the country is armed to the teeth," he said, so criminals often have easy access to them.

For his part, Maidment said he would like to see Connecticut provide an incentive for the gun makers to stay, though he doesn't favor a subsidy.

State Sen. Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, said he feels an opportunity has been missed to discuss some of the things the state could do, like providing assistance for the retooling of shops that make AR-15-style rifles. He remained hopeful that Connecticut will be able to keep many of the companies, but dialogue on what kinds of assistance might make sense has not been held.